Southern Ohio Medical Center has been recognized by the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) and the Healthy Ohio Business Council (HOBC) for their outstanding healthy worksite practices, receiving the Gold Level Healthy Worksite Award for 2015.

The Healthy Worksite Award recognizes Ohio employers who demonstrate a commitment to employee wellness through comprehensive worksite health promotion and wellness programs. All applicants are reviewed and evaluated by members of the HOBC, and winners are recognized at either the Gold, Silver, or Bronze level.

A total of 68 Ohio employers were named healthy worksites for 2015.

“Poor nutrition, physical inactivity, tobacco use, and alcohol and drug use limit our potential to be productive Ohioans. This is why a comprehensive approach to preventive health and wellness at worksites is an essential part of improving both the health of Ohioans and the overall success of our state,” Dr. Mary DiOrio, medical director of the ODH, said. “Healthy Ohio Healthy Worksite Award winners are leading the way in this effort by creating healthy work environments for their employees.”
Applicants are scored on how well their wellness programs facilitate and encourage employee health, enhance productivity, and ensure a healthy work environment.

“In terms of health and wellness, SOMC strives to be the leading example not just to our employees, but for other employers and the community,” April Sanders, manager of SOMC Employee Health and Wellness said. “We work to encourage a healthy community that will result in our children and their families living long and happy lives. We’re glad to be making strides both in and outside our workforce.”

The Healthy Worksite awards are sponsored by Provant, a leader in population health management strategies and customized worksite wellness services that support employee well-being and productivity and healthcare cost containment. For more information about the Healthy Ohio Healthy Worksite Award program, please visit http://www.healthy.ohio.gov/businesses/howkawd.aspx.

If you’ve made a resolution to get in shape in 2016, be sure to check out the following new classes being offered at the Portsmouth and Wheelersburg LIFE Centers.

Portsmouth:

BootCamp @ 5:30a Monday & Wednesday

High intensity strength and cardio workout. This class will incorporate strength and conditioning body weight exercises, weighted exercises, and cardio exercises. Expect the format to change frequently and to feel the burn!

Gentle Yoga @ 2p Tuesdays

Beginner level. Slower pace with a range of modifications to make poses progressively more accessible. Yoga can help reduce stress, improve circulation, build community connections, and address challenges that result from chronic health conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, osteoporosis, and fibromyalgia.

Kickboxing Burner @ 6:45p Wednesdays

Combination of cardio, boxing, and marital arts to provide a total body workout that improves strength, aerobic fitness, speed, flexibility, coordination, and balance.

Restorative Yoga @ 2-3:30p first Sunday of each month

Limited to 16 participants. $5 for members and $10 for non-members. Prior registration is suggested as classes fill quickly. January, February, March and April are currently full; registration for May, June, July and August sessions will open in February 2016.

Wheelersburg:

KICK! @ 5:35p Tuesday and Thursday

Beginner to Intermediate level. Combines kickboxing moves with cardio, balance, strength, flexibility, and core in an Interval format and you have KICK!

Although she will be competing in next year’s Dancing With Our Stars competition, Dr. Jessica Suber is clear about one thing: She is not a professional dancer.

“Typically, I dance like Elaine off of Seinfeld so I don’t know why they picked me,” Dr. Suber joked.

Of course, as a “star” in the competition, Dr. Suber isn’t expected to be a professional. However, it turns out her “pro” partner, Jared Jenkins, isn’t one either.

“When I first met him, he thought he was the star and I was the pro,” Dr. Suber explained. “I said, ‘I thought I was the star and you were the pro!’ So then we kind of joked about that and we decided we don’t need a pro. What we lack in experience, we’ll make up for with ‘star power.’”

This isn’t the first time the SOMC plastic and reconstructive surgeon will step outside of her comfort zone to support a good cause. In October, she participated in SOMC’s Paint It Pink Celebrity Softball game. As a softball player, she proved to be a quick study in what turned out to be a great experience. She expects similar results from Dancing With Our Stars.

“I’m excited to be a part of this. I was very impressed by all the money they made last year and how many lives they were able to touch,” Dr. Suber said. “I’m looking forward to doing my part to raise money for the cause this year.”

The actual competition will take place in March, but Dr. Suber’s supporters can begin voting for her now. Since the event is a fundraiser, the public “votes” through donations. Every dollar given in Dr. Suber’s name will count as one vote for her to win the competition.

SOMC Community Health and Wellness is making a nine-hole “Disc Golf” course available to the community for free at Earl Thomas Conley Riverside Park.

Disc golf is a game played much like traditional golf. Instead of a ball and clubs, however, players use a flying disc, or Frisbee®.

The sport was formalized in the 1970’s, and shares with “ball golf” the object of completing each hole in the fewest strokes (or, in the case of disc golf, fewest throws).

A golf disc is thrown from a tee area to a target, which is the “hole.” The hole can be one of a number of disc golf targets; the most common is called a Pole Hole® an elevated metal basket. As a player progresses down the fairway, he or she must make each consecutive throw from the spot where the previous throw has landed.

The trees, shrubs, and terrain changes located in and around the fairways provide challenging obstacles for the golfer. The hole is completed when the disc makes it into the basket.

Disc golf shares the same joys and frustrations of traditional golf, whether it’s sinking a long putt or hitting a tree halfway down the fairway, and can be enjoyed by people of all ages.

Resolving to get in shape next year? The SOMC LIFE Center can help you make it happen. From January to March, the LIFE Center will be hosting a series of group fitness classes that will help you get the results you’re after.

Early risers are invited to participate in “BootCamp with Steven” at 5:30 a.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays. This is a high-intensity strength and cardio workout. It incorporates body-weight exercises, weighted and cardio exercises. The format will change frequently and, when weather is appropriate, it may be held outdoors.

On Tuesdays at 2 p.m., the LIFE Center features “Gentle Yoga with Tina.” This is a beginner-level course. It goes at a slower pace and incorporates the optional use of a chair, which makes it yoga poses progressively more accessible. Yoga can help reduce stress and improve circulation – as well as address challenges that results from health conditions such as arthritis, heart disease, osteoporosis and fibromyalgia.

On Wednesdays at 6:46 p.m., the LIFE Center will host “Kickboxing Burner with Steven.” This class is a combination of cardio, boxing and martial arts that provides a total body workout. It will improve your strength, speed, flexibility, coordination and balance.

And as always, those looking to improve their health are invited to become part of the CrossFit Alpha Pack. CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams. It is designed for universal scalability, making it perfect for committed individuals regardless of their level of experience.

The CrossFit Alpha Pack meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 8 a.m., as well as on Mondays and Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m.

Life is busy, especially around the holidays. We go straight from the hustle of Christmas shopping and holiday parties to the grind of setting and keeping our New Year’s resolutions.

As special as this time of year can be, it is also rather exhausting… which is why you might consider making this resolution for 2016: Get more sleep.

Sleep is not just a luxury. It’s something you need, and failure to get enough of it can have serious consequences on your health. Insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and depression. As much as a resolution like “Get more sleep” might feel like a copout, it isn’t. It really is a serious step towards living a healthier, happier life.

But how much sleep do you need? Adults of all ages should aim for seven to eight hours of sleep every night. Teenagers need a little bit more and should get nine to ten hours. School-aged children, meanwhile, should get at least ten while pre-schoolers need between eleven and twelve.

As for newborns, they would ideally spend between 16 and 18 hours a day sleeping.

But as you probably know, falling asleep isn’t always as easy as it sounds. If counting sheep isn’t enough to put you out, try following these tips:

Go to bed at the same time each night, and get up at the same time each morning.

Sleep in a quiet, dark and relaxing environment. It shouldn’t be too hot or too cold.

Make your bed comfortable – and ONLY use it for sleep. Do not lay in bed to read, watch TV or listen to music. If you only sleep in your bed, you will become psychologically programmed to become sleepy when you’re in it.

Remove all TVs, computers and other “gadgets” from your bedroom.

Avoid large meals before bedtime.

If, despite following these tips, you still struggle with sleeping, it is possible you may suffer from a sleep disorder. If you believe this to be the case, contact the SOMC Sleep Diagnostic Center at 740-356-8822.

In 2016, there will be more people who make a New Year’s Resolution than watch the Super Bowl. According to research by the University of Scranton, more than 90% of those people will fail.

Why is that? The problem may not be their commitment – it might just be their goal setting.

The key to making a resolution you can keep is keeping it simple. Be realistic and understand that sticking to a small improvement is better than failing at a drastic one. Rather than setting one huge goal for the year, try setting several that are small and obtainable.

Your resolution should also be tangible and tied to achievable metrics. For example, saying you are going to “lose weight” or “go to the gym” is just vague enough to be trouble. How are you going to lose weight? What kind of exercise routine will you be doing? Leaving those questions unanswered just gives you a built-in excuse to quit. Instead, resolve to avoid potato chips for six weeks – or to attend a weekly spin class.

By setting clear, measurable goals, you can keep your resolutions from feeling overwhelming. It also makes it easier to know when you are starting to slip.

Starting any new exercise practice can be overwhelming, but entering a CrossFit gym can be particularly nerve-wracking.

To better integrate you, CrossFit Alpha Pack is offering a Foundation Class on Tuesday nights at 6:30pm. Rather than throwing you right into CrossFit classes your coaches will get you started in an introductory classes to make sure you know how to safely execute the many CrossFit movements regularly seen in WODs (Workout Of the Day). These include the more basic, yet critical, exercises like the squat, deadlift and press, as well as more complex Olympic weightlifting movements, including the clean and jerk and the snatch.

Regardless of your own athletic background or ability the Foundation Class will help you come up to speed on performing a safe and effective CrossFit WOD.

For more information, contact the SOMC LIFE Center at 740-356-7650 or visit CrossFitAlphaPack.com.